Rudolph was familiar to many residents

People in Murphy, North Carolina, didn't fear the bombing suspect and alleged killer who lurked in the woods outside of town.

That's because, to many, Eric Robert Rudolph wasn't a stranger and to those who didn't know him personally, he wasn't a threat.

Even a deputy who helped identify him early yesterday recognised the suspect not just from wanted posters, but because he had also met him several years earlier.

Some in this mountain region 208 kilometres north-east of Atlanta had business dealings with him or had visited him in his home long before he was ever a suspect.

"These were the cleanest people," said Frank Sauer, who stayed as a guest of Rudolph and his mother in their home in nearby Topton, North Carolina, in March 1996 and later bought the house from them. Despite the cordiality, Mr Sauer knew there was a darker side to Rudolph.");document.write("

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"Eric talked about the government, New World Order and Jews," said Mr Sauer, a retired Philadelphia plumber. "He was definitely anti-Semitic. He said the Holocaust never happened."

Even after Rudolph's name was linked to bombings in January of 1998 and he dropped out of sight, many residents didn't worry: they knew even if he was guilty, his grudge was with others - outsiders, not them.

"His motive was gay bars and abortion clinics. We had none of that," said Cal Stiles, who rented a mini-storage unit to Rudolph months before the bombings. Federal agents later searched the unit four times, Mr Stiles said. "It wasn't like he had a vendetta against other people [in the area]."

Rudolph managed to elude authorities for five years in these hills, and the FBI thinks he had help. That comes as no surprise to residents in the town, who recall the "Run Rudolph Run" bumper stickers that popped up when federal agents first began looking for him.

Some newcomers are helping to transform this once-sleepy mountain town with coffee shops, Japanese steakhouses and plans to bring liquor to this dry area.

They think it's certain he had help from the locals. If not direct help - such as shelter and meals - then the more passive assistance of residents looking the other way.

Amy Johnson four years ago opened a coffee shop in the heart of Murphy with her husband, David. As in all coffee shops, opinions and debates fly, between newcomers and the old-timers who occasionally venture in.

"A lot of people might not have been sympathetic to his cause," Mrs Johnson said. "But as they put it, they wouldn't turn him in. I've heard people say I'd feed him if I found him - it just shocks me."

But for every shocked newcomer such as Mrs Johnson in this evolving town, there's an old-timer like Manuel Phillips. He grew up in Murphy, as did generations of his family before him.

"Most people in this area are against abortion, against the gays, and that's one reason why you didn't see more people saying they wanted to see him caught," he said.

His wife, who asked that only her husband's name be used, added: "I tell you what, I'm sorry for the little old boy. He's probably guilty of some of it, but maybe not all of it."

"I tell you what," Mr Phillips said, sitting down to a drink at the town McDonald's. "If that man had been a serial killer, and killed a bunch of young women, he'd have been caught faster. A lot of people here just didn't want him caught."

Even with a major reward, there was little incentive locally to hunt down Rudolph or turn him in.

"A million dollars, that's a lot of money, but that don't mean nothing to the people in these hills," Mr Phillips said. "People have their own beliefs back in these mountains. They don't care about money. They just want a living, enough to eat and pay their medicine and doctor bills."

But there have been other ways to make money off the Rudolph case. Mr Sauer, who bought the home from Rudolph, made $US500 ($768) by selling CNN a video of Rudolph guiding him on a tour of the property.

He hopes there is more money to be made. He now rents out the Topton home and may sell it later this year.

"Once I put the house on eBay and get a hold of a few movie producers, I might make a few bucks," Mr Sauer said. "With all of the hassle I've been through, why not?"

He did not see Rudolph after July 1996, but he recently heard from Rudolph's mother, Pat, who retired to Sarasota a few years ago. She sent Mr Sauer's family a Christmas card just last year.

"She apologised for all the times the FBI harassed us, basically," Mr Sauer said.